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« on: April 17, 2018, 01:15:28 AM »Hrothgard Church
The Hrothgard Church is the once official and largest religion in the Eyrifjorduric Federation. The Hrothgard Church is headed by the Archbishop of Eyrifjordur and it is organised into twenty-two dioceses. The current Archbishop of Eyrifjordur is Kristján Vihjálmursson. The Hrothgard Church is the official religion in the State of Nýttgrund, one of the member states of the Eyrifjorduric Federation.
History
The Hrothgard Church was established in 1868 during the reign of Erik II the Saint, third king of the Northern Kingdom.
The Hrothgard Church is based on theological ideas of theologian Hans Tryggvisson (1768-1849) and his supporters known as the Pious Reformers. A Catholic monk until 1799, Hans called for a theological and political reform of the Catholic religion. He became politically active during Eyrifjordur independence in 1818, serving as Minister of Public Education from 1824 to 1832. He was Dean of Vogardur University -the oldest university of the country- between 1834 and 1837, but his writings often clashed with the Catholic local authorities. A supporter of the monarchist system, he was protected by Erik I the Wise, who became King of the Northern Kingdom in 1844.
In 1856, a small group of Hans Tryggvisson's disciples published "The Proposals of Divine Reform", a theological statement signed by 21 Christian theologians. The proposal asserted and supported Hans Tryggvisson's view that "all humans are born morally and spiritually depraved, and helpless to do anything good or worthy...without a special infusion of God's grace to overcome the effects of original sins", and called for a reform of the Catholic Church. The publication of "The Divine Reform" caused a huge controversy in Vestfellbaer, and it was condemned by the bishop of the city.
Two years later, Erik III was crowned as King. He started several political and administrative reform, and soon he was interested in religious affairs as well. Concerned about the power of the Catholic Church and its ministers in the country, as they controlled most of the universities and schools, he called an unofficial synod to discuss theological and educational affairs. Supported by reformist theologians, King Erik III established an "Ecclesiastical Assembly", a government committee of clergymen headed by a lay appointee of the monarch. During the next years, Erik III passed several laws which forced to reform the Christian churches. As a result, the government of the church came under control of the Synod Assembly, which was composed both of bishops and lay bureaucrats appointed by the government.
King Erik III faced condemnation and was threatened with excommunication. Notwithstanding, his reforms were successful and the Hrothgard Church was officially established in 1868, and declared the only state religion. He also ordered the expulsion of all bishops and Catholic clergymen who opposed his reforms. King Erik IIi died in 1879. Two years later, he was proclaimed the First Saint of the Hroghgard Church. Hans Tryggvisson was also proclaimed Saint in 1889.
During the 1904 liberal revolution, the United States of Narthaur -later renamed as Republic of Narthaur- was proclaimed, established as a secular state. The Hrothhard Church remained the official religion of the Northern Kingdom until the kingdom was abolished ten years later. When the Eyrifjordur Federation was established in 1918, the Hrothard Church remained the state religion of the Principality of Konunglár -one of the member states of the federation, and following the 1964 constitutional reform, the state religion of the State of Nýttgrund. The 1968 Constitution of Nýttgrund also recognizes the Archbishop of Eyrifjordur as the head of state.
The current head of the Hrothgard Church is Archbishop Kristján Vihjálmursson, who was elected in 2008.
Organization and structure
The Archbishop of Eyrifjordur is the head of the Hrothgard Church. The Archbishop of Eyrifjordur is based in Eskárkrókur, the capital city of the State of Nýttgrund. The Archbishop summons annually all the pastors and theologians of the church to the Ecumenical Synod, to discuss the affairs of the church and society. The Ecumenical Synod has a say in all matters of theology and liturgy to be decided by the Archbishop and the Church Assembly.
The highest executive authority of the Hrothgard Church is the Synod Council, formed by eight clergy and two lay-persons elected by Church Assembly (Kirkjuding), and presided over by the Archbishop of Eyrifjordur. The Archbishop's office in Eskárkrókur also serves as the office of the Kirkjuding. Besides dealing with financial matters and personell, it also has departments of education and ecumenical affairs, church and society and communication. The church's publishing house and official newspaper are also situated in the Archbishop's Palace.
Since the Ecumenical Council of Midverslund in 1970, the annual Church Assembly is the legislative body of the Hrothgard Church, making most church law previously enacted by the Konunglár's Assembly. The Church Assembly or Kirkjuding is formed by 50 elected representatives, 38 ordained and 12 lay-people, and a lay Chairman appointed directly by the Archbishop of Eyrifjordur.
The Hrothgard Church owns seven universities and colleges (four of them located in the State of Nýttgrund), private schools, hospitals and other institution. While most believers of the Hrothgard Church are found in the Eyrifjorduric Federation, the Hrothgard Church also has priests serving Hrothgard congregations abroad.
The Theological Faculty of the University of Eskárkrókur, founded in 1924, educates the clergy for the Hrothgard Church. Since the Church's reforms in the 1970s, many theologians go abroad to further studies in seminaries and universities across Mundus. The Hrothgard Church is far from being isolated and is open to all contemporary influences and theological trends.
The Hrothgard Church is estimated to have more than 36,260,000 believers, most of them in the Eyrifjorduric Federation.